About the artist
View my work
My name is Michaela Jean Upp, I am a mother, avid gardener, and painter. I have been artistically inclined and in love with nature my entire life. My earliest memories include admiring the flowers in my grandfather’s garden, speaking to a myriad of animals (some pets, some not), and pretending to be a mermaid in the Pacific Ocean. My artist father began teaching the fundamentals of drawing at a young age and my interest in art remained with me through the school years. Unsure of my talents, I enrolled in the History of Art program at UC Berkeley instead of Fine Art, although I filled my schedule with as many studio courses as possible. There I fell in love with painting and have not been able to put my brush down since.
Today, my artwork is a call to nature by appealing to the “inner child” in us all. I am devoted to Earth and all her plant and animal beings. I believe that children are innately tied to these living creatures in a most mystical way. Through the creation of art, I hope to remind others of the connection they once had with all life on our planet. My art is simply a more eloquently expressed awareness of the flower loving, animal groupie, cold-water mermaid I once was, and seek to be again.
Bio and Cv
Michaela Jean Upp (neé Moore)
b. 1989, San Diego, CA
BA, History of Art, University of California, Berkeley // 2011
"Modernism in France", La Napoule, FR, University of California, Davis // 2009
Selected Exhibitions
“La Jolla Art and Wine Festival” // San Diego, CA // October 2023
“Artwalk Liberty Station” // San Diego, CA // August 2023
“Featured Artist” // Gallery at Land’s End// San Diego, CA // Ongoing
“Stronger Together” // Art Mums United // Summer 2022
“Featured Artist”// The Studio Door Gallery // San Diego, CA // Winter 2021
“Sailing San Diego” // Current Collective // San Diego, CA // June-July 2019
“Mission Federal Art Walk” // San Diego, CA // April 2019
“La Jolla Art and Wine Festival” // San Diego, CA // October 2018
"Artist in Residence" // NES Artist Residency // Skagaströnd, Iceland // September 2018
“Mission Federal Art Walk” // San Diego, CA // April 2018
"50 to Watch" // The Studio Door // San Diego, CA // March 2018
“La Jolla Art and Wine Festival” // San Diego, CA // October 2017
"Summer in San Diego" // Ashton Gallery // San Diego, CA // June 2017
"OB Pier 50th Anniversary Art Show" // Teeter Gallery // San Diego, CA //June 2016
"ILY...ILY Not" // L.A. Mother Venue // Los Angeles, CA // February 2016
"Boca Art Show" // Greenville, SC // November 2015
"Art at Liberty Station" // San Diego, CA // August 2015
"Art in the Village" // Carlsbad, CA // August 2015
"Hermosa Beach Fine Arts Festival" // Los Angeles, CA //June 2015
Teaching and Curatorial Experience
"The Painter of Provence"// Impressionism and Post Impressionism, University of California, Santa Barbara // Guest Lecturer // Summer 2014
"This Was Tomorrow: London 1956 | Geoffrey Holroyd | Santa Barbara" // Art, Design & Architecture Museum // Co-Curator // January - May 2014
Selected Press
“Stronger Together” // The Huts Magazine #6 // September 2022
“Featured Artist” // Art Mums United // April 2021
“Meet: Michaela Jean Upp” // Shoutout San Diego // December 2020
“Enchantment, Artist Feature” // “Candy Floss Magazine” // October 2020
“In my studio…” // In Her Studio Magazine // Summer 2020
“Michaela’s Oceanside Studio” // www.888tuffshed.com // December 2019
“Check Out Michaela Jean’s Art” // SD Voyager // April 2018
"50 to Watch" // The Studio Door's biennial publication // March 2018
“Holiday Gift Guide” // Rising Tide Society and Honeybook // Winter 2017
“Featured Artist Interview” // KUSI News // October 2017
"The Women's Issue" // Maker's Magazine // Summer 2017
"An Interview with Michaela Jean" // Artist Meets Mother // February 2017
"Pacific Beach Seen in Watercolor with Nostalgia" // SDNews.com // April 2016
